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Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Impossible Task?

A. W. Tozer

Each morning I receive a classic devotional from a great preacher from the past, Dr. A. W. Tozer. They always challenge me. Here is today's:May 31 Preaching: All In One SermonNow we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. - 1 Thessalonians 5:14Because we are the kind of persons we are and because we live in a world such as we do, the shepherd of souls is often forced to work at what would appear to be cross purposes with himself.For instance, he must encourage the timid and warn the self-confident; and these may at any given time be present in his congregation in almost equal numbers.Another problem he faces is the presence in the normal Christian assembly of believers in every stage of development, from the newly converted who knows almost nothing about the Christian life to the wise and experienced Christian who seems to know almost everything.Again, the Christian minister must have a word from God for the teen-aged, the middle-aged and the very aged. He must speak to the scholar as well as to the ignorant; he must bring the living Word to the cultured man and woman and to the vulgarian who reads nothing but the sports page and the comic strip. He must speak to the sad and to the happy, to the tender-minded and to the tough-minded, to those eager to live and to some who secretly wish they could die. And he must do this all in one sermon and in a period of time not exceeding 45 minutes. Surely this requires a Daniel, and Daniels are as scarce in the United States (and Canada) today as in Babylon in 600 B.C. from The Set of the Sail, pgs.82-83."That's an impossible task, Lord! I again confess myself totally dependent on the Holy Spirit. Enable, I pray, in Jesus' name. Amen."For more information about LMI contact: http://lmi.gospelcom.net/NOTE: Yesterday, on my way to the ballpark in Toronto, I passed the historic sanctuary, Avenue Road Church, that Dr. Tozer pastored during his time in Toronto. It is now the headquarters of the Hare Krishna cult in that city. I wonder if Tozer's prophetic words ever bounce from the rafters these days. It's so tragic to see what was once a bastion of truth being used to propagate such error. - David

1 comment:

Mr. Fisher... Mr. Tozer was a really good preacher. Did you know that the "Faith Cometh By Hearing"[sermon audio.com] site has 67 audio tapes by him? I downloaded them and put them on cds. They are a real treasure.They have several of Charles Spurgeon too and Watchman Nee and many, many more preachers...... from Teresa

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Personal Reflections on a variety of subjects of a Fellow Pilgrim on the Journey "Home". Although this pilgrim is a Christian and follower of Jesus, not all posts are on a Christian theme. Much of my life has been spent as a sports chaplain so posts on a sports theme can be found here from time to time.

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David trusted Jesus Christ as Savior when he was 6 years old. In 1975 God called him to an encouragement ministry to pro athletes through letter-writing, Epistle Sports Ministries. David served with Baseball Chapel as chaplain to the Toronto Blue Jays for 29 seasons. Married to Carol, they have 7 grown children. David's wife Carol founded the Kawartha Komets hockey club for special needs kids and adults. They live in Peterborough, ON. David is an avid reader and book collector. He is a pianist and songwriter and enjoys Southern Gospel music. David also enjoys writing. His favorite preachers are Joseph Stowell & John Piper. Favorites from the past include Alan Redpath, Stephen Olford, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones & J. Sidlow Baxter. David’s life and ministry have been profoundly influenced by the lives of George Muller & J. Hudson Taylor. David presently works with FRIENDS Peterborough offering help, hope and a "hand up" to those who drop in off the street. Be sure to visit his other blogs listed below.

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